Punjabi University to promote Punjabi language abroad

The Punjabi University would prepare text-books and rope-in noted scholars from India and abroad to take the Punjabi language to those Punjabis who have settled abroad and have hitherto been ignorant of the language, said the university's vice chancellor (VC) Dr Jaspal Singh, while presiding over a special lecture at a function organised by the World Punjabi Centre here on Thursday.

The Punjabi University would prepare text-books and rope-in noted scholars from India and abroad to take the Punjabi language to those Punjabis who have settled abroad and have hitherto been ignorant of the language, said the university's vice chancellor (VC) Dr Jaspal Singh, while presiding over a special lecture delivered by Canada-based noted journalist and Shiromani Punjabi litterateur Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal at a function organised by the World Punjabi Centre here on Thursday.

He said that the text books and reference material would be prepared keeping in mind the specific needs, social milieu and other demographic variables in different countries.Dhaliwal happens to be the first student of the Punjabi University, who would be awarded a doctorate in Punjabi.

Dr Singh further said the World Punjabi Centre of the university, keeping in minds its primary mandate of promoting Punjabi language, art and culture, would also organise a special World Punjabi Conference with special attention to the neighbouring countries. This would be in addition to the All India Punjabi Conference, the Punjabi Literary Conference and the Punjabi Diaspora Conference that the university has been organising.

While criticising the vogue of vulgar and obscene Punjabi music, the vice chancellor said, "We can create an audience of our choice; the Punjabi University is committed to producing a quality audience."

While underlying the contribution of Punjabis settled in Canada, Dhaliwal said they were 'better placed' in relation to the Indian Punjabis so far as promoting the Punjabi language and maintaining a distinct socio-cultural identity was concerned. The Punjabis, who constituted nearly one-third of the Canadian population, had collectively played a significant role in securing for their language the status of the second language and the third most-spoken language in Canada, he added.

The participants highlighted the role of Punjabi University in rejuvenating the World Punjabi Centre, which was dying slowly after being established jointly by the chief ministers of the Indian and the Pakistani Punjab. Director of languages in Punjab Dr Balbir Kaur was the special guest. She congratulated Dhaliwal for earning the Shiromani Sahitkar award, bestowed upon him by her department.